Valley Legislative Tour

It’s something that is done every session so for most legislators, it is probably a matter routine. This year, of course, with immigration in the headlines, it takes on a new importance. In spite of that, the Rio Grande Valley Legislative Tour is something interesting that hasn’t received a lot of press outside the Valley.

From the Brownsville Herald:

Yet in the absence of federal decisiveness on immigration reform, the state’s lawmakers are being asked to take action on an issue that could affect businesses like Rio Queen Citrus, a produce exporter. In the Legislature’s current session, lawmakers have filed at least a dozen immigration bills covering everything from health care to employer restrictions to a tax on money wired abroad.

“There’s so much pressure from the public,” said Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, who represents four counties in East Texas. “They don’t want to hear that it’s a federal issue.”

With such pressure, it’s not a surprise that the Valley is seeking to influence lawmakers taking the four-day tour, which is sponsored by the Rio Grande Valley Partnership. The regional chamber of commerce has sponsored the trip during legislative sessions since 1975.

Although the tour is intended to show lawmakers all the Valley has to offer — from food to culture to industry — local representatives are seeking to drive home their message that overly restrictive immigration laws would undermine the area’s economic success. And in the Valley, six hours south of polarizing Austin, legislators seemed more congenial and impressionable.

“It’s all we’ve talked about,” said Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg. “At every stop — even at places where you think we couldn’t have talked about immigration — we talked about immigration. I think we’ve already changed some minds.”

Others were not as optimistic.

“I don’t know if it’ll change people’s minds, but it’ll make them a lot more understanding,” said Rep. Juan Manuel Escobar, D-Kingsville, a former Starr County sheriff’s deputy and U.S. Border Patrol agent.

State Rep. Aaron Pena has more at his blog.